Spanners - The Fountain of Youth Read Online Free PDF

with coconut oil, salt and local fruits. They skewered the fish and then put them over the fire; the filets cooked in a matter of seconds. The women placed the meal on reeded mats and put them in front of a cross-legged Adam, Diego and a small mulatto child who appeared to be Diego’s son. From the child’s glowing eyes, the boy also appeared to be a spanner. Two men waved fans at Adam while he ate. The fish was some of the best he’d ever eaten, though he tried not to show it; he didn’t feel comfortable eating beside two men with fans.
    “Does the Sentinelese obeisance bother you, Adam?” asked Diego.
    “Yes,” said Adam. “We’re not gods.”
    Diego laughed heartily at that and then started to cough. One of the women came up to him and rubbed his back; Diego soon recovered and waved her off with a smile. She went back to preparing some more fish. Diego pointed at Adam’s bloodied shirt and then at Adam’s skin, which was flawless.
    “You plucked a spear from your own heart, only to rise again,” said Diego. “What are you, if not a god?”
    “Something else.”
    “Something else, Adam? Like what?”
    “I don’t know,” said Adam. “But we’re not gods. Spanners aren’t gods.”
    Diego stared at Adam darkly, scratched his large belly with his thick fingers and then broke the silence with a small nod.
    “Perhaps you’re right,” said D iego. “Gods have agendas. The small gods of mythology were petty, perhaps, but they acted . Most spanners are content to hide in the shadows, whether their life lasts a day or … eight thousand years. ”
    Diego smiled at Adam, but Adam chose not to recognize the gesture.
    “But let’s assume you’re correct, Adam—we’re not gods, ” said Diego. “You still disapprove of my lifestyle?”
    Adam knew he had to get Diego’s help, but still couldn’t lie.
    “Yes,” said Adam. “It’s odd that you take advantage of these people’s … simplicity .”
    “Last time you saw me, I was a conquistador ,” said Diego. “I found people like this and killed them. Would you prefer I revert to my original behavior?”
    “No,” said Adam. “But spanners don’t do this. They hide, perhaps, but they don’t—”
    “This is my penance, Adam.”
    “Your penance?”
    “Indeed,” said Diego, skewering two slices of fish and eating them both at once. “As you know, I spent my natural life murdering the less advanced, and after I gained immortality I chose to protect the last pre-Colombian civilization left. I trained them to kill intruders, and here they live unsullied by modern life, more or less.”
    Adam smiled and then had a second bite of his meal, which was even better than the first.
    “Perhaps you’re right,” said Adam.
    “I am,” said Diego. “I’m no longer a conquistador, vassal or landlord; I’m but a beekeeper to these people. I give them protection from the predatory world ar ound them, and all I ask for is a bit of honey in return.”
    Adam nodded, and Diego smiled. Diego barked some commands and the warriors and women both bowed and left, leaving only Adam and the boy.
    “My friends’ obeisance shall bother you no more,” said Diego. “Now, before we speculate as to what my brother Juan is up to, we must explain our story to my son. Would you allow it?”
    “Of course,” said Adam.
    The child looked at his father, and the boy’s eyes glowed deeply with excitement.
    “This tale started years ago,” said Diego, “with our first visit to the New World.”
    /***/
    “The year was 1493,” said Diego. “We were three brothers : myself, Santos and our captain, Juan Ponce de León, and we were sent by Spain to follow Christopher Columbus on his second expedition to the East Indies. We soon realized that there was land in between of course, so when we reached the islands of Hispaniola we made several colonies there, and in a few short years Juan had muscled his way to a high position: the governor of Puerto Rico.
    “Years passed and